Baidu and Google PPC Case Study: How We Increase Website Traffic to Generate Leads

Background

SMA Solar Technology AG is a German solar energy equipment supplier with offices in 18 countries. To improve their brand awareness and online lead generation in Mainland China and Taiwan, SMA decided to use Baidu and Google PPC to promote their websites.

Beginning

At the beginning of the project, the website traffic is not ideal. The below is the traffic data from Jan 2020 to Mar 2020:

• SMA-Simplified Chinese Website

• SMA-Traditional Chinese Website

The Process

1. Develop PPC campaigns

Based on keyword and brand image, we developed ad campaigns to increase the ad's click-through rate.

2. Deep Keyword Research

Baidu PPC is a paid-per-click ad service. Every click is the cost for our client. Keyword research is the foundation of any type of PPC service. Hence, we need to intensely work on keyword research and find the best keyword and ad copy combination through the A/B test to deliver the most efficient and highest ROI results.

3. Constantly Keyword and Ad Copy Optimization

Baidu PPC optimization is the process, not just one-time work. Therefore, all the optimization needs to be based on data analysis and constantly fine-tuning.

4. Define Ads Conversion and Install Tracking Code

The goal of a PPC campaign is to increase traffic and conversion, meaning more sales leads. Hence, defining and setting up campaign conversion extensions is essential, e.g., form fill or phone calls. When the conversion tracking setup is finished, we can track and analyze the performance of all the ads.

5. Record All the Optimization Process

We logged and tracked all the optimization processes to help our optimization decisions.

6. Monthly Data Analysis Report

We analyze and track all the data monthly to analyze and optimize the campaigns for the following month.

Results

1. Simplified Chinese website（Baidu PPC）

   In April 2020, we launched Baidu PPC campaigns. As a result, the traffic and click-through rate had constantly been increasing.

• Traffic Chart

• Click-through Rate Chart

2. Traditional Chinese Website（Google Ads）

   The monthly traffic had been increasing by 600% from Mar 20 to Dec 20. 

Conclusion

1. From Mar 2020 to Dec 2020, the simplified and traditional Chinese website traffic increased by 300% and 600%, respectively.
2. We also launched ads on Google Display Network to increase by 300,000 monthly impressions.
3. We kept A/B testing and fine-tuning the campaigns to find out the best keywords and ad copy combinations. It is the best way to deliver the most efficient and highest ROI PPC campaigns.